


Tugging On Braids

by Barkour



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-02
Updated: 2012-07-02
Packaged: 2017-11-09 00:24:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/449186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barkour/pseuds/Barkour
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Astrid knows what she wants. Hiccup just wishes she'd be a little more circumspect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tugging On Braids

**Author's Note:**

> Kinkmeme fill, for [this prompt](http://httyd-kink-meme.livejournal.com/388.html?thread=45956). Finally de-anoning!

"Everyone ready?" Hiccup called.

The children grouped about him nodded or called back assent. Their mounts, small and steady dragons of calm temperament and even keel, chuffed at them. Hiccup flashed a smile at little Hogrend, who'd hesitated before nodding and looked increasingly doubtful of the whole endeavour. Toothless snuffled at him. A wind stirred across the small plateau.

"Now does everybody have their safety equipment? Tethers, helmets?" He checked again. One of the kids, Snotlout's girl, rolled her eyes. Hiccup patted her helmet in passing. Boring, but necessary. "Do you have your goggles?"

Eight children snapped theirs up over their eyes: wool-padded brass frames with clear quartz lenses. Hogrend paled, and Hiccup tossed him a pair. 

"Just remember next time," Hiccup told him. "Goggles protect your eyes from debris and--"

"Increase visibility in windy conditions," said Spikelout, bored. But her fingers twitched on the lead to his dragon, her knuckles whitening.

Hiccup smiled at her. "Exactly, which is why we all need to make sure--" 

His head snapped back, sudden pulling pain fletching at his scalp. Giggles broke out among the kids, Hogrend's tending shrill.

"Hi," said Astrid to Hiccup's downturned face. She'd her fingers knotted in his braid, dragging it down. 

"Thank you for undermining me in front of my students," he said. "That's very helpful." 

"I just wanted to tell you, have a nice flight," she said. She let go. Hiccup carefully straightened, massaging his cricked neck.

To Hogrend Astrid said, "Don't worry. The first jump's the worst. But it gets better." 

She smiled at Hogrend, and her smile seemed to strike him as it still struck Hiccup, as something both marvelous and unreal. Hogrend shrank back against his dragon, a laconic Gronckle whom he had previously danced about. The Gronckle looked stunned with pleasure.

Astrid turned. Hiccup touched her arm, stilling her. 

"Thank you," he said. "Really. I mean that."

"I was just on my way to the harbor," she said defensively. Toothless snorted low in his throat and butted her square in the back, pushing her forward a step.

"I'll see you later," Astrid said, and she swept her hair back behind her ear and bussed Hiccup on the cheek. Then she turned, patted Toothless once on the snout, and stomped off the field.

Hiccup touched his cheek. Had she bit him? He'd felt her teeth flicking across his skin. His head tingled, his scalp tender yet.

"Uh, Hiccup, sir?" said Spikelout. She'd her square hand in the air. "Are you gonna stop mooning around?"

He started. The kids were laughing again, Hogrend into his Gronckle's knobbed elbow. 

"What?" said Hiccup. "I mean, yes. Yes, we are. I am. Goggles on!" he said with sudden cheer.

"Goggles already on, sir," Hogrend ventured. Spikelout barked with laughter, and he trembled against the Gronckle.

"Great," said Hiccup. "Excellent! Let's saddle up."

*

Astrid returned late that night from patrol, smelling of sea and sweat and close quarters. Bibi preceded her, nattering displeasure as she shook water from her scales and beelined for the fire, its drying heat and brilliant glow. Astrid dropped her pack inside the door and kicked off her boots.

"Welcome home," Hiccup said. He caught her ax two-handed and turned to set it on its hook.

Astrid snagged his braid, hauling him back against her. He leaned back, arching to leaven the aching drag.

"Whoa, hey, careful," he said, "sharp ax, sharp ax--"

She kissed him, his face at a harsh upside-down angle. Dizzy, he stared at her chin, her long and graceful throat. Her nose brushed his chin, the thin beard there. He closed his eyes.

Astrid set him free with a pop and one last tug on his hair. "There," she said, satisfied. Hiccup tottered and steadied, lurching upright.

"I wanted to do that earlier," she added. "But I figured that one kid might pass out if I did. Is that mutton?"

"Hogget, actually," he said. He slung the ax across its hooks. "And thank you for not further assaulting me in front of my students. I'd hate to lose their respect."

She flapped her hand, her mouth full. Bibi chirruped from her place by the fire, her wings stretched out over the small hot winds the flames threw out. Astrid tossed her a length of sheep leg and Bibi cracked into it, splitting bones as well as flesh.

"So how'd it go?" said Astrid through her racked hogget. She looked at him over the meat, her thin lashes spread wide around her pale eyes. Hiccup nearly melted, overcome.

Toothless dropped from the rafters and threw Hiccup a knowing look over his sleeked wings. Hiccup coughed into his fist and sauntered casually around to the table. Astrid eyed him.

"It went pretty well," he admitted. He sat beside her, his thigh to hers. "A lot better than I expected. Hogrend threw up a couple times, but," and he shrugged, "that's Hogrend."

Astrid smiled around the bones she cleaned. Swallowing, she looked ready to move on, then Bibi barked, fluttering her wings so sparks shot up from the fire in flickering streams. She'd crowded Toothless, flocking as Nadders flocked, and he'd fanned his crest at her.

"Leave him alone, Bibi," Astrid said. "He's not in the mood."

"Toothless," Hiccup said, exasperated, "she's just being friendly. You don't have to be rude."

Bibi chirruped plaintively. Toothless growled low at Hiccup, then curled into a ball with a wing thrown up over his face. Satisfied, Bibi crept closer and set her head upon his haunch, rubbing at his scales.

"They're like two-year olds," Hiccup muttered. Astrid snorted into her dinner. "How'd your patrol go?" he added.

"Terrible," she said. "You wouldn't believe how boring it was. Then Bibi threw one of her fits and the only way I could get her to calm down was to take her diving."

"Well," said Hiccup, "that explains the smell." She elbowed him and he swayed, laughing. 

Astrid dropped the bony remnants of her last piece. Sighing, she fell back. "I'm exhausted." 

She tugged on his braid, pulling him down beside her. The floorboards were cool at his back, chill with the earth below. Astrid laced her fingers in his hair at the root of his braid. Gently, one by one, she curled her fingers, tickling his scalp.

He rousted, turning over on his side to face her. She stroked her thumb down his ear. Astrid looked him over, her pale eyes darkened by the width of her pupils. She hitched her mouth to one side.

"The beard's not working for you," she said.

"That's great," he said, "because I was just thinking, this beard is definitely working for me."

"It looks like you pasted moss to your face," she told him.

"So, I'm shaving," he said.

"Thank you," she said. "I was getting sick of kissing you."

"Even with all this--" He gestured powerfully. "Rugged masculinity? This incredible, raw Viking power?"

"Oh, no," she said. "Oh, stop. I'm overwhelmed." 

But she kissed him all the same, sliding her hand up his chest as she pressed him flat against the boards. She'd fingers still knotted in his hair, and she pulled on his braid as she slithered on top of him. The stinging cut sharp through him, but he didn't mind. He cupped her butt, rounded as she straddled him.

They kissed for a few, long minutes like so, Astrid kneading his scalp, Hiccup stroking the small of her back, then she slanted her mouth hard against his and snaked her hand down between his legs. He gasped, arching up into her touch.

She kissed his cheek and said, "I missed you." Her eyes were downcast, her lashes pale on her sunburnt cheeks. So close, she smelled of the thick fat she'd smeared on her cheeks to forestall the chapping winds. Her fingers were tight in his hair, drawing so his skin tingled.

He'd woken to an empty bed, day patrol taking Astrid from home at early, dark hours. "I missed you, too," he said, "Astrid."

She smiled and he touched her cheek and he thought he might burst. She dragged on his hair, pulling his hair so his throat arched up to her. Astrid scattered kisses down his freckled neck, sucking, biting, claiming kisses as she worked at his buckle. 

"And I thought we could just cuddle, maybe," he said. Her fingers ghosted across his hip and he snickered, coiling away.

"We can cuddle after," she said, very magnanimous.

"That's very generous of you," he said, "pretending to care about my emotional needs," then she bit his lip, her hand a fist at the base of his skull, and she sank down onto him. Hiccup sighed and arched beneath her, and so surrendered to Astrid.


End file.
